In the day's other news: The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia was wrong
to jail members of the group of activist artists known as Pussy Riot for a protest in 2012.
The court ordered the Putin government to pay nearly $50,000 to the protesters, who
spent two years in prison.
Pussy Riot activists staged their most recent protest at Sunday's World Cup final, when
four members ran onto the playing field.
Former President Barack Obama rebuked President Trump today without ever naming him.
Mr. Obama delivered a major address in Johannesburg, South Africa, and condemned what he called
a politics of fear and resentment used by strongmen leaders.
He warned against propaganda and false claims, sometimes from the mouths of leaders themselves.
BARACK OBAMA, Former President of the United States: We see the utter loss of shame among
political leaders, where they're caught in a lie, and they just double down and they
lie some more.
It used -- look, let me say, politicians have always lied, but it used to be, if you caught
them lying, they'd be like, oh, man.
(LAUGHTER)
BARACK OBAMA: Now they just keep on lying.
JUDY WOODRUFF: In the end, the former president did offer words of hope, saying: "We have
been through darker times.
We have been through lower valleys."
In Nicaragua, the government intensified its assault on political opponents today.
Police and armed supporters attacked a neighborhood in Masaya that's become a center of resistance.
Protests against President Daniel Ortega's plan to cut pension benefits broke out in
April.
Since then, some 280 people have died in a government crackdown.
Japan and the European Union have signed a landmark trade deal.
The pact will do away with nearly all tariffs between them, and create the world's largest
open area for trade.
They made it official today during a ceremony in Tokyo.
The European Council's president said it's a counter to President Trump's protectionist
trade policies.
DONALD TUSK, European Council President: We are sending a clear message that you can count
on us.
We are predictable, both Japan and the E.U., predictable, responsible, and will continue
defending a world order based on rules, on freedom, on transparency, and common sense.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The E.U.-Japanese trade deal will cover a third of the global economy and
roughly 600 million people.
Back in this country, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told Congress today he expects
to keep raising interest rates gradually.
He said the Fed anticipates the job market will stay strong and inflation will hover
near 2 percent for the next few years.
And he said it's a balancing act.
JEROME POWELL, Federal Reserve Chairman: On the one hand, raising interest rates too slowly
may lead to high inflation or financial market excesses.
On the other hand, if we raise rates too rapidly, the economy could weaken and inflation could
run persistently below our objective.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Powell declined to comment directly on potential effects of President
Trump's tariffs on foreign goods.
Instead, he said countries that are open to trade tend to have faster growth, whereas
those with protectionist policies fare worse.
And, on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 55 points to close near 25120.
The Nasdaq rose 49 points, and the S&P 500 added 11.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on President Trump's
meeting with President Putin; a doctor shortage in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico; the popular
new way teenagers are vaping with e-cigarettes; and much more.